Deep In My Heart
by EnchantedMuggle
Summary: Hermione isn't who she appears to be. She keeps her life hidden. But then fate steps in and changes everything.
1. Prologue

To everyone that knew her, Hermione Granger was average. Her hair was still a bushy mess after seven years of Hogwarts. She still spent annoying amounts of time in the library. And she was still best friends with Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. But what none of her classmates knew, not even Harry or Ron, was that she harbored a secret. Something that could shatter her entire world in an instant.

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Prologue

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September 1st, 1991

Eleven year old Hermione Granger dreaded the moment the sorting hat was placed on her head. Dumbledore had already told her it was nearly impossible to convince the hat to place you somewhere other than where it felt you belonged. But she had to try.

"Hmm…you are a clever child. What brilliance I see here. Yes. Quite remarkable. And your lineage, amazing. Why I've never seen anything like it. There's only one place for you---"

"No."

She heard her voice echo through the hat. Did she really just say no to a hat?

"No? But it's where you belong my dear. You would be such an advantage to the house."

"Exactly. Place me anywhere but there. Even Hufflepuff."

The hat sighed.

"Well if you insist…Gryffindor."

As the hat was lifted off her head, Hermione felt that a great burden has also been removed from her shoulders. Of course being in Gryffindor was quite strange too. All her life she had believed she would be in another house. But Dumbledore felt this was the best choice. It was the safest.

Glancing across the room Hermione noticed a pair of eyes on her. Looking directly into them she felt something flutter in her. How ridiculous. She couldn't be developing crushes her first day. What would people think of her? Besides, she was here for an education, not to meet a guy. She didn't need the person who those eyes belonged to, or any man.

How wrong she was.

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I know it's short. I'm sorry. I didn't want to give too much away. Of course we know what house it was, but I want to give it a little mystery. Any reviews would be great. The next chapter will be up soon. Thanks!


	2. Hidden

How could one girl get so lucky? All her life Hermione had believed she would never have friends. But shortly into her Hogwarts life Ron and Harry stepped in. They were everything she'd ever hoped for. It was risky being friends with Harry, but he was worth it.

Ron was another story. He came as a package deal. In order to be his friend, she had to accept his family. But she did so whole heartedly. All of the Weasley's made her feel like she was one of the family. There was many a time when she thought of one of them as her brothers or sister.

But things could never be perfect. Her secret lived deep inside of her. Many nights she would stay awake thinking things over. If only she could tell Harry and Ron. But she had been sworn to secrecy by Dumbledore. Only a select few knew.

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The time passed quickly. Each year was marked by something terrible happening and Harry always being so very close to death. But somehow he always made it. In her third year she realized she had a crush on him. The boy who lived. How ironic it really was. Now when she thought about it she couldn't help but laugh. Back then it had seemed like the worst thing in the world.

The crush had faded quickly. But it was soon replaced by another. Each and every day she endured his taunts. She always reacted, never backed down. She wasn't one to be thrown around. She could see he found it all to be quite amusing indeed, though he never showed it. She knew better.

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"Hey Hermy, wanna watch us practice?" Ron's voice interrupted Hermione's train of thought for the millionth time.

"Ron, you know very well not to call me that. And you also know that I find Quidditch practice to be about as exciting as watching my toenails grow."

Ron smirked at her. "Fine then. Enjoy the library."

And then she was alone.

When it came to Quidditch, she tried to find enthusiasm. It just never worked. She could stand the games. Something interesting was almost guaranteed to happen. But practice? Ugh.

Everyone knew she found peace in the library. It was quite easy getting Ron and Harry to stay away. Almost too easy. If they knew what she really did there they would surely hate her. He was after all, the enemy.

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"I thought you got lost." He shot at her the moment she appeared.

"Shove it, Rat Boy."

"Hmm…that's a new one. It's a nice change from Ferret Face."

Hermione couldn't help but smile. For the first time she noticed his appearance for the day. Blue jeans and the hooded sweatshirt she had gotten him for Christmas. It was the first time he'd worn it, and she was pleased to see she had been right about it bringing out his eyes.

"See something you like?"

"Don't flatter yourself."

"I don't have to. You do it for me."

She felt herself blush. It was true. She was always complementing him on something. He was quite brilliant. It had just taken him some time to find his true potential. Not to mention her help.

"Are you planning on just standing there all morning?"

"You're a pain the ass, you know that, right?"

"All the more reason for you to love me."

Oh God.

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Well? Thanks for the reviews so far. They make me so happy. I know it's still kind of short, but the next chapter will be much longer. I promise.


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